Sensing the Air Quality: Research on Air Quality Sensors

Overview of Air Quality sensors experiments

Air quality monitoring device & sensors research

Air Quality monitoring is well known and established science which started back in the 80's. At that time, the technology was quite limited, and the solution used to quantify the air pollution complex, cumbersome and really expensive.

Fortunately, now days, with the most recent and modern technologies, the solutions used for Air Quality monitoring are becoming not only more precise, but also faster at measuring. Devices are becoming smaller, and cost much more affordable than ever before. For instance, new technologies like the Tapered element oscillating micro balance (TOEM) provide significant advantages over the traditional Beta Attenuation Monitors (BAM)

Even more recently, ultra-affordable sensors are starting to appear on the market - many of them linked to the IOT trend of sensing everything. While most of them are purely gimmick, and so definitely useless toys, some of them are starting to achieve performances comparable to professional monitors, at one hundred time less of cost of them. In order to asses the reliability of those sensors, the Earth Sensing Labs from the World Air Quality Index project is and has been conducting many Air Quality Sensor research and live-data experiments from many years.

Particle Sensors

The particle sensors can detect the amount of dust in the Air. While the first generation was just able to detect the amount of opacity, most recent sensors can now detect not PM2.5 and PM10 but also up to 7 different particle size (aka bins).

Notes

Note1: The USD/CNY conversion rate is based on 1 CNY = 0.15 USD. The price are based on direct purchase from the vendors without shipping cost.

Note2: The Dylos monitor does not really belong to the PM sensor category since it is a completely integrated and standalone monitoring equipment, much more expensive than any other sensor, but it is listed here for historical reason.

Note 3: The Alpha Sense OPCN2 is expensive, and the the price you pay is for the traceable calibration (done using Polystyrene Spherical Latex Particles). Otherwise, from a technology side, it does not include anything better than what the $20 sensors can do, except from an IC.

Note4: There are many scientific article on low-cost sensor. See the one from NCAS and WACL for an excellent and brief overview on the evaluation of low cost chemical sensors for air pollution measurement.

Note5: If you would like to suggest news sensors, please contact us or just post a message in the discussion board at the bottom of this page.

Last 5 days PM2.5 comparative measurement

The graph "BAM PM2.5" is the reference measurement from a professional BAM monitor. A loess smoothing is applied to all the other graphs in order to minimize the noise. You can move your mouse over the graph labels to see the actual output vs. the averaged values.

Usage Notice: All the Air Quality data are unvalidated at the time of publication, and due to quality assurance these data may be amended, without notice, at any time. The World Air Quality Index project has exercised all reasonable skill and care in compiling the contents of this information and under no circumstances will the World Air Quality Index project team or its agents be liable in contract, tort or otherwise for any loss, injury or damage arising directly or indirectly from the supply of this data.